Aidan – The Stoic Leader

Wolf Logs written by Wolf Watch participants Steve Houglum and Marcia Mummau. 

Aidan is a stoic, quiet, but alert pack leader who doesn’t interfere with the pack dynamics unless he deems it necessary, which isn’t very often.  Aidan, Boltz and Luna had a howling session early Saturday morning, awakening the wolf watch group before dawn.  The howl seemed to originate with Grizzer as the first howl heard was off in the distance.

The Wolf Watch program is generally offered on the first Friday of each month, allowing participants to join wolf care staff as they observe the pack interactions and record any behavioral data that helps determine pack dynamics.

Aidan- Caching in a Fresh Snow

Of all the wolves on Exhibit, Aidan displays the most caching behavior.  His pattern of burying food resources always involves a pile of untrodden snow, and his face shows the intensity of his task to keep his resources from the rest of the pack.

Aidan – Feeling Good

Aidan’s feeling good and in the best physical shape he’s been in for a while.  His pigmentation changes caused by his Discoid Lupus seems to have diminished with no residual discoloration on his nose or lips.  He’s an active pack leader and is always aware of the pack’s interactions.  It’s been a long trip from the bottom of the rank order as a yearling, to a strong pack leader 6 years later.

Aidan – Defending the Pack

 Data and photo provided by wolf watch participant Steven Houglum.

Early in the night of our monthly wolf watch program, participant Steven Houglum reported a bark-howl that occurred in the enclosure. It was up the hill in our enclosure, so we could not see which wolf performed it. The bark-howl is a defensive form of communication, often letting its target know that they need to back off, or stay away from a territory. It’s possible that Aidan performed this bark-howl, perhaps to ward off a wild wolf that may have been near the fence.

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Aidan – A Year in Review

Aidan continues to lead the Exhibit Pack, but seems to be a bit more relaxed than last year at this time.  Luna and Boltz may be part of the reason, they will be three years of age in March, 2015 and maturing beyond some of the indiscriminate testing behavior of two year old wolves.  Aidan had some medical concerns in 2014 related to his food consumption and digestion.  Initially, we thought it was improved by the addition of probiotics in his diet, but by August, he seemed to have some issues with lethargy as well.  We made a decision to immobilize him and take him to the Veterinary clinic, something we rarely do with dominant wolves (we risk losing their status when removing them from the pack).   Fortunately, we found no physical cause of the digestive issue, but a month-long dose of Pepcid AC seemed to improve his physical condition and his activity level. He continues to be very active, frequently greeting all the wolves and continues to maintain a strong bond with his littermate Denali.

Aidan – Finding the Balance

With Aidan’s abdominal issues this summer, wolf care staff treated him with several medications to remedy his discomfort. As we approached autumn, the problems seemed to subside. Aidan has been much more social with both the pack, and wolf care staff, and all around seems to be feeling much better. Now our job is to find what medications of his are required to maintain his current state, and which ones we can back off on.

Aidan – Still in His Prime

There are many misconceptions that the older a wolf gets, the calmer, more docile, and generally safer the animal is to interact with. This is often a common mistake we see in wolf care with new staff entering retirement enclosures. Just because a wolf is older, does not mean they become doglike, or tame. Even at 6 years old, Aidan demonstrated to us very well the other day that he’s readily able to keep up with the 2 year olds. In this week’s photo we have Aidan, who had just leaped over several rocks, cutting off Luna’s path during a chase.

 

Aidan – Built for the Cold

With the coming of winter, the wolves tend to become much more visible in the International Wolf Center’s observable enclosure. Wolves are built to thrive in the cold. Contrary to a hot summer day, the wolves have had an increased bout of activity during the day, and Aidan is an active participant in the activity. We’ve seen more playbows and other social activities from him, a break from the more stoic overseer we commonly see Aidan as.

Aidan – The Addition of Mid-week Feedings

With the transition to winter, we typically add a second feeding time for the wolves in the middle of the week, usually Wednesdays. Having a full belly can help reduce the intensity of the interactions between wolves in a pack, as the dominance displays can become much more intense as we approach the breeding season. Aidan seems to have taken well to this transition, he enjoyed a beaver on Wednesday, focusing on the best part of course: the tail!

Aidan – Taking it all in Stride

Two-year-olds are often quite the handful, but Aidan takes many of their antics in stride. We’ve seen a lot of very social behavior from Aidan towards the rest of the pack this week, he has even initiated a few play bows and chases through the enclosure. The first snowfall of the season seems to liven the exhibit with new excitement for the winter.